Nahelani Parsons selected as executive director of Hawaiʻi Renewable Fuels Coalition

The Hawaiʻi Renewable Fuels Coalition has named Nahelani Parsons as its first executive director.

The new advocacy group represents farmers, land stewards, airlines and fuel producers in a collective effort to support the transformation of the state’s energy landscape by producing renewable fuels in the islands.

Parsons’ experience is in coalition building, association management, and county, state and federal legislation, with a focus on public affairs, policy and advocacy.

The coalition said in a news release that Parsons’ “strength lies in bringing together a variety of stakeholder interests to serve the greater good.”

The coalition represents 12 member organizations and seeks to accelerate progress on renewable fuels to support the state’s journey toward carbon neutrality and greater energy independence.

Key recent developments driven by member organizations include:

• Par Hawai’i’s $90-million investment to reconfigure one of its processing units, allowing its Kapolei refinery to produce 1.4 million barrels of sustainable aviation fuel and other renewable fuels annually, beginning in 2025.
  
• Crop trials of the flowering plant camelina by Pono Pacific Land Management, Hawai’i’s largest private natural resource conservation company. The plant can be grown in rotation with other food crops, with the oil from the seeds used to produce sustainable aviation fuel and the seed cake used as an approved animal feed for cattle and chickens.

• Commitments by Hawai’i companies using fuel for road vehicles, air travel and power production to use more renewable fuels with lower lifecycle carbon impact.

Parsons, a windward O‘ahu resident, will lead this coalition of business and community organizations to advocate for support needed to produce renewable fuels in Hawai‘i and to advance the state’s goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2045.

“Renewable energy is rapidly evolving, and Hawai‘i is at an exciting place in its renewable energy journey,” Parsons said in the news release. “Not long ago, this technology was science fiction, but today there are real possibilities that offer us viable, sustainable energy options.

“It takes immediate action now to get us towards the 2045 state energy goal. We cannot wait any longer and we are excited to be taking action towards that goal today with more organizations joining this effort.”